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While trees are certainly a lovely addition to your landscape, they can wreak havoc when it comes to the underground sewer pipes running into your home. Remember that sewer pipes contain material that tree roots find attractive: oxygen, nutrients, and water are everything a thriving tree needs to grow. Besides the backup caused in sewers by Fat, Oil, Grit and Grease, otherwise lovingly referred to as FOGG, tree roots are the second main issue you face when dealing with sewer pipe issues and necessary repairs. Such repairs can prove costly. Tree roots growing on parkways, private land, and all over the service area, are what cause many sewer backups that are damaging to pipes and sewer systems in the community.
Every homeowner has to maintain their own sewer pipes: The laterals that run from the home to the sewer system’s main pipe: this is often in the street. Since all the piping is underground, it is fairly difficult to know if an issue has occurred until the backup occurs.
When warm water moves through the pipes in the sewer system, this leads to the presence of an escaping vapor that gets into the soil around the pipe. The soil surrounding the sewer pipe is cooler than the vapor that penetrates it. Roots are attracted to this vapor and begin growing toward the pipes. The roots will grow through a crack in a sewer system pipe and will continue to grow until it causes a complete blockage of the line; hair-like masses of root block the line and catch the products that will completely block the pipe: fats, oils, grease, and grit (FOGG). The tree roots might also catch things like tissue paper and any other substances exposed through the home’s sewer system.
Surefire sign
A sure sign there is a tree root problem with sewer pipes is the slow flow of drains. The first indication that there is a slowing of drains is the gurgling sound that the homeowner will likely hear in the toilet bowl. If no action is taken, then the blockage will become complete. The roots will thrive on the nutrients it gets from the materials running into the pipe, expand, and the expansion of the roots will build up pressure where the joint or crack exists. The pressure from the growing root will ultimately force the pipe to break, and costly repairs ensue.
What you can do
As a homeowner, you would do best to know where you sewer pipes are located, and to perform a regular sewer pipe cleaning. The homeowner should refrain from putting trees near the sewer lines, but also hedges and shrubs as well. It is a good idea to keep larger plant life some ten feet from the sewer pipes so the root intrusion will remain minimal. It is important to choose trees that have a less than aggressive root system as well, and that smaller trees are moved and replanted before getting out of control with the roots underground.
You have roots in your sewer laterals. Now what?
With roots in the laterals, you can pretty much count on a blockage at some point, if not now, then in the future. It is only a matter of time. To keep this from happening, the sewer pipes need to be cleaned out with the use of a high pressure flusher, root saws, and augers. The lateral must remain sound in a structural sense too, if it is not sound, it must be replaced. If you need professional help in Hamilton, make sure to call the professionals at Dr. Pipe Drain and Plumbing Services.
Give us a call today: 613 791 5777 for a free upfront estimate!
